On May 26, Thomas Cardinal Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, issued a letter to all clergy and staff of the Archdiocese wherein he discussed the latest diktat from Ontario Premier Doug Ford's so-called, "Roadmap to Reopen." Ontario is and has been for months, under the most severe restrictions to our freedoms and economy in all of North America. Ford, an alleged Conservative, has shown himself to be an autocratic dictator with no respect for individual or religious rights.
Currently, the restrictions on indoor religious services remain at ten persons. Collins and most, but not all, bishops in Ontario have seen fit to reduce that to zero and some have gone so far to even ban baptisms! The current restrictions in Ontario will move to a different phase twenty-one days after specific levels of experimental viral spike protein injections are completed. What was the first three-week to flatten the curve and reduce the strain on our hospitals in April 2020 has become fourteen months of draconian actions by Ford, tolerated by our religious leaders. As I wrote previously, a worst-case scenario is Sunday Mass on August 1 due to the still draconian action to prevent indoor worship until the second phase of the Ford plan. Ford insists on opening retail to 15% but not a church, this is a clear case of a violation of constitutional law and must be challenged in the public square and the courts.
Collins reports that he has had a meeting with the "Premier's office." As someone who was a Special Assistant in the former actual Conservative government of Premier Mike Harris, this means he met with the likes of this writer, back then, not the Premier himself. How tragic that the Premier of Ontario does not hold this Prince of the Catholic Church, the Cardinal Archbishop of Toronto in enough respect to sit down with him directly. His Eminence reports that he made clear his "dissatisfaction" regarding the limit of ten persons. No doubt, if the Premier's minions were reasonably well-read, they would have immediately responded, the Eminence, "doth protest too much, methinks."
It appears that the Cardinal threatened the Premier with a similar online letter-writing campaign as was done in March official in the chancery office. That action resulted in over 15,000 emails to Members of Provincial Parliament and copies to the Premier no doubt resulting in an easing from ten persons to fifteen percent. We congratulated the Cardinal for this initiative while at the same time bemoaning that it took him so long.
Collins indicates that if no action on the part of Ford is announced by the end of this week, the previous campaign will be renewed with the assistance, according to the Cardinal, of other faith communities throughout Ontario.
While the emergency orders have permitted outdoor worship and we can see how one parish in St. Catharines has successfully implemented this, Collins has, thus far, forbidden it. The Cardinal has indicated that if there is no action by the Premier by June 1, he will issue guidance and recommendation on outdoor liturgies.
Cardinal Collins deserves rebuke and criticism for his cowardice and lack of action of this and other failures over the last year. For a moment, let us set this aside.
You, dear reader, must write to the Cardinal and the Premier demanding that our churches immediately reopen.
This writer will do everything possible on this blog and social media to promote Cardinal's initiative to take on Ford on this issue and urge an immediate court challenge, a year later, to be sure.
I only regret that it has been so little on the part of our spineless episcopal leaders and so late.
3 comments:
We have a very weak Leaders in our Archdiocese. How come Cardinal can't stand up to the government and tell them we are opening the churches with 30% capacity. He hides behind the people and need help. Police told the government they won't be executing their orders to stop the cars, parks got opened after the outrage of doctors and scientist. Don't tell me that the government would send police to locked the churches rather they would back out and let us open the churches. What the cardinal did is to show the government how weak he and the church he leads is and how quickly he will follow the government order without a fight. where are those courageous bishops. Did anyone hear from your bishop during this pandemic, I haven't. Pray for COURAGE for our weak and cowardly Cardinal and Bishops. Come Lord Jesus!
That address is Ford’s constituency office, not the Premier’s address.
Both.
Write to both!
premier@ontario.ca
doug.fordco@pc.ola.org
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